322 G/F Torres Bldg., Katipunan Ave., Loyola Heights
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
Mediocrity wasn't welcome on Father's Day...
It's so frustrating to find established Chinese restaurants serving mediocre Chinese food, especially on "special days" like Father's day. Restaurants should make it a priority to step up on these days because it's when majority of people eat out and usually try something new. If you impress a customer he'll be back and if you serve them lousy stuff, not only will they not come back, but they'll also tell their friends and so on.
So what makes good Chinese food you ask? Cantonese cooking usually attacks all your taste buds by combining all flavors into their dish. From salty, sour, sweet, bitter and of course umami(MSG). This usually ends up with dishes that are heavy on the stomach because of the heavy use of oil from frying and to finally add shine before serving the dish. Chinese food can be very satisfying when done right, but it can also be uncomfortable if not handled with care.
On to the food
Beef and Brocolli
It was forgettable, the beef was in the middle of tough and just right and the sauce wasn't really great.
Lemon Juice
Honestly it tasted like half concentrate and half lemon juice. If you're going to put half the lemon in the glass I'd rather you put the juice in my glass rather than substituting concentrate. Presentation wasn't good either, to know what I'm talking about order North Park's version, it's a sight to behold.
Crab and Sweet Corn Soup
It was actually nice to have soup on a rainy day. The soup was fine but don't expect any crab in it, just a few small shrimps and corn bits. Still the taste was acceptable.
Salt and Pepper Squid
This irritates me the most because salt and pepper squid is a must order if you're eating at a Chinese restaurant. As seen in the picture you already have a warning sign that it's not good. The breading wasn't sticking and it was soggy. This dish should be crunchy and flavorful but it turned into a soggy mess.
Yang Chow Fried Rice
Your average Chinese restaurant fried rice, never eat without it.
Steamed Garlic Fish
Fish didn't seem to be fresh as when we picked it up from the plate it was bent out of shape. If you're steaming something it should at least keep it's natural form because it's a gentle style of cooking. The sauce was also unimpressive and not really happy with this dish.
Sweet and Sour Pork
Honestly the only dish I enjoyed out of everything. The pork was still crunchy and the sauce was nice. The sweetness and sourness was balanced pretty well.
Hap Chan is one of the more established franchises in the country. It's probably on this branch which is sub standard because I do recall that I pretty much enjoyed the food in their Annapolis branch.
Happy Pigout :@)
i remember enjoying hap chan in their small resto in manila. i especially like their steamed garlic fish. when they opened a branch in paranaque, however, the dishes weren't that good anymore too.
ReplyDeletei also love food, hope you could drop by my blog. :)
In my experience, never eat at a hap chan that isn't their malate branch. The food in their other stores are mediocre.
ReplyDeleteI suggest trying hap chan near ongpin.
ReplyDeleteWe usually eat at their branch in MOA or HP (when it was still open) and they food was ok. Delicious even. Maybe you were in on a bad day? =)
ReplyDeleteI like their siomai. =)
nah the branch in in itself is horrible... their Annapolis branch is pretty good... it has to be it's right across Choi Garden :))
ReplyDeleteService in the Katip branch is terrible too. My father and I ate there once; the place wasn't even packed but they were super slow. Food was so-so. Overall a meh.
ReplyDelete